Floral wrapper with decorative extension and method

ABSTRACT

A wrapper for wrapping a flower pot and/or floral grouping. The wrapper is constructed of a sheet of material having an extension attached to a portion of the sheet of material. Preferably the extension has a lace pattern thereon. When the wrapper is formed about a flower pot to form a decorative cover, upper edges of the sheet of material and extension cooperate to form a skirt portion preferably having at least two separate edges providing a “two-sheet” effect in the decorative cover. The wrapper may have extensions on opposing ends of the sheet of material and may having one or more additional overlapping extensions.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] The present application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser.No. 10/135,334, filed Apr. 25, 2002, the specification of which ishereby expressly incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

[0002] This invention generally relates to wrappers used to wrap floralgroupings and/or media, or flower pots containing floral groupingsand/or media, and methods of using same.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0003]FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a wrapper of the presentinvention.

[0004]FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the wrapper of FIG. 1.

[0005]FIG. 3 is an elevational view of an alternate embodiment of thewrapper of the present invention.

[0006]FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the wrapper of FIG. 3.

[0007]FIG. 5 is an elevational view of an alternate embodiment of thewrapper of the present invention.

[0008]FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the wrapper of FIG. 5.

[0009]FIG. 7 is an elevational view of an alternate embodiment of thewrapper of the present invention.

[0010]FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the wrapper of FIG. 7.

[0011]FIG. 9 is an elevational view of an alternate embodiment of thewrapper of the present invention.

[0012]FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the wrapper of FIG. 9.

[0013]FIG. 11 is an elevational view of an alternate embodiment of thewrapper of the present invention.

[0014]FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the wrapper of FIG. 11.

[0015]FIG. 13 is an elevational view of an alternate embodiment of thewrapper of the present invention.

[0016]FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of the wrapper of FIG. 13.

[0017]FIG. 15 is an elevational view of an alternate embodiment of thewrapper of the present invention.

[0018]FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of the wrapper of FIG. 15.

[0019]FIG. 17 is an elevational view of an alternate embodiment of thewrapper of the present invention.

[0020]FIG. 18 is an elevational view of an alternate embodiment of thewrapper of the present invention.

[0021]FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view of the wrapper of FIG. 18.

[0022]FIG. 20 is a perspective view of a potted plant covered by thewrapper of FIG. 18.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0023] The present invention is a wrapper for decorating and coveringflower pots, flower pots having floral groupings (plants) therein,floral groupings comprising cut flowers, floral groupings disposed in a“non-pot” floral holding material such as a form or fiber block, andnon-pot or non-plant items such as gifts, gift boxes, fruit or candyboxes, and other boxed or unboxed items. The wrapper contemplated hereincomprises a primary (first) sheet of material having at least oneadditional sheet of material attached thereto which comprises anextension of the primary sheet of material and which is generallyadjacent to an edge of the primary sheet of material. The extension mayor may not extend beyond the edge of the primary sheet of material.Preferably the extension has a lace pattern thereon, or the extensionmay have any other pattern thereon, or may not have a pattern but mayinstead have a color, texture, or other decorative effect.

[0024] In the present invention, the extension is attached to theprimary (first) sheet of material via a continuous seal, or via a sealonly having discrete or intermittent connections. When the wrapper isdisposed about a potted plant, the decorative cover formed thereby has adecorative skirt or “ruffle” comprised of a portion of the extension andof the outermost peripheral edge of the sheet of material therebyproviding a decorative cover which has the appearance of two separateand different decorative sheets of material which comprise thedecorative skirt. Previously, in order to achieve this “two-sheet”effect, the user had to use two entire sheets of material, which wereeither separate or attached. If the sheets of material were separate,the user was required to place a first sheet on a surface then place asecond sheet upon the first sheet then shift the second or first sheetabout so as to achieve close alignment of the edges of the sheets so asnot to diminish the decorative effect of the two sheet cover when thecombined two sheets were wrapped about a flower pot or other item. Theprocess was even more difficult and time consuming when three or moresheets were used for obtaining a “three-sheet” (or more) effect.

[0025] The wrapper of the present invention enables the user to obtainthe same “two-sheet” effect as obtained by using two entire sheets butwithout the extra effort of having to align the two sheets and,moreover, without the higher costs incurred when using two entiresheets. Indeed, the user can obtain any “x-sheet” effect (where x is thenumber of upper edges in the decorative skirt) by having “x−1”extensions added to the first sheet of material. Users of the presentinvention, which comprises a first sheet of material, and at least onenarrower extension attached to and extending from the first sheet ofmaterial, not only enjoy increased ease of application, but also enjoyconsiderable cost savings due to the significantly reduced labor andmaterial costs obtained by employing the narrower extension.

[0026] As noted above, the present invention contemplates in a preferredversion a wrapper made of a decorative first sheet of material having adecorative extension attached thereto which may be a material having alace or lace-like appearance, and which may have a straight ornon-linear upper edge and/or a straight or non-linear lower edge. Thefirst sheet of material may further comprise a detachable upper portionwhich may be sized to surround and encompass the floral groupingdisposed within the flower pot. The upper portion when present may bedetachable via a detaching element, including but not limited to,perforations, tear strips, weakened areas, or zippers.

[0027] Also, the wrapper may comprise an adhesive or cohesive bondingmaterial disposed on an inner surface thereof for bondingly connectingthe wrapper to the pot or for connecting portions of the wrappertogether after the wrapper has been disposed about the flower pot.Alternately, a bonding material may be disposed on an outer surface ofthe wrapper for securing a crimped portion having a plurality of crimpedfolds formed in the wrapper about the flower pot or floral grouping tosecure the wrapper about the pot.

[0028] These embodiments and others of the present invention are nowdescribed in more detail below. It will be appreciated that the examplesprovided herein are not intended to limit the scope and extent of theclaimed invention but are only intended to exemplify various embodimentsof the invention contemplated herein.

[0029] Shown in FIGS. 1-2 and designated therein by the generalreference numeral 10 is a wrapper for wrapping a flower pot or a floralgrouping or other items as described elsewhere herein. The wrapper 10 isconstructed of a sheet of material 12 (also referred to herein as thefirst sheet of material) with a first surface 14, a second surface 16, afirst edge 18, a second edge 20, a width 21, a first side 22, and asecond side 24, and an extension 26 having an upper edge 28, a loweredge 30, a first side 32,a second side 34, and a width 35. The extension26 is attached to the sheet of material 12 along a seal 36 andpreferably is constructed from a sheet material having a lace orlace-like pattern or appearance. The extension 26 is preferably attachedor laminated via the seal 36 to portions of the first surface 14 of thesheet of material 12. The extension 26 preferably extends to or beyondthe first edge 18 of the sheet of material 12, such as shown in FIG. 1.Further, the extension 26 is preferably attached near the first edge 18of the sheet of material 12 of the wrapper 10 such that the location ofthe seal 36 is near or within several inches (within 0 to 6 inches forexample) of the first edge 18 of the sheet of material 12. In apreferred embodiment, the extension 26 has a lace or lace-like pattern38 disposed thereon. It will be understood however by one of ordinaryskill in the art that the extension 26 may comprise any other decorativepattern thereon, or may not have a pattern, but may only be differentlytextured or colored. The width 35 is preferably about 2% to 25% of thewidth 21.

[0030] The extension 26 is preferably laminated to the sheet of material12 at the seal 36 via a heat seal or via an adhesive or cohesive sealbut it will be understood that the extension 26 can be attached to thesheet of material 12 via any attaching, connecting, or lamination methodas described elsewhere herein or as known to one of ordinary skill inthe art.

[0031] In one embodiment, the first edge 28 of extension 26 preferablyextends about one-half to four inches from the first edge 18 of sheet ofmaterial 12, and the second edge 30 of extension 26 generally extendsfrom one-half to four to six inches on the upper surface 14 of the sheetof material 12 below the first edge 18. Any or all of the portion of theextension 26 which faces and rests against the upper surface 14 may besecured by seal 36 to the sheet of material 12 however preferably thefacing portion is only partially connected. The wrappers 10 may besupplied in a stack of individual wrappers, in a pad wherein thewrappers are attached together, or in a roll, wherein individualwrappers 10 are separated from the roll via perforations preplaced intothe webbing of the roll, or by separation via a cutting or shearingimplement.

[0032] Referring now to FIGS. 3-4, another wrapper embodied in thepresent invention is designated therein by reference numeral 10 a.Wrapper 10 a is constructed of a sheet of material 12 a with a firstsurface 14 a, a second surface 16 a, a first edge 18 a, a second edge 20a, a width 21 a, a first side 22 a, and a second side 24 a, and anextension 26 a which has an upper edge 28 a, a lower edge 30 a, a firstside 32 a, a second side 34 a and a width 35 a. Preferably the width 35a is from 2% to 25% of the width 21 a. The extension 26 a is attached tothe sheet of material 12 a via a seal 36 a, and preferably has a pattern38 a thereon. The wrapper 10 a is essentially the same as wrapper 10described previously except the upper edge 28 a of extension 26 a isnon-linear (e.g., curvilinear) rather than straight. Although the upperedge 28 a is shown as having a curvilinear non-linear pattern, it willbe understood that the upper edge 28 a may have any non-linear pattern,such as for example, sine wave, arced, toothed, angular, crenelate,crenulate, scalloped, or may have a combination of a linear andnon-linear pattern. In another embodiment (not shown) of wrapper 10 a,the lower edge 30 a of extension 26 a may be non-linear in a mannersimilar to upper edge 28 a of extension 26 a. Alternatively, in anotherembodiment of the invention, the upper edge 28 a of wrapper 10 a may bestraight, such as shown in wrapper 10 of FIG. 1, while only the loweredge 30 a of extension 26 a is non-linear.

[0033] Referring now to FIGS. 5-6, shown therein and designated by thegeneral reference numeral 10 b is a wrapper for wrapping a flower pot orfloral grouping which is essentially similar to wrapper 10 except asdescribed below. The wrapper 10 b is constructed of a sheet of material12 b having a first surface 14 b, a second surface 16 b, a first edge 18b, a second edge 20 b, a width 21 b, a first side 22 b, a second side 24b, a first extension 26 b, and a second extension 40 b.

[0034] The first extension 26 b has a first edge 28 b, a second edge 30b, a first side 32 b, a second side 34 b and a width 35 b. The firstextension 26 b is attached to a portion of the sheet of material 12 bvia a seal 36 b, and preferably has a pattern 38 b thereon as discussedabove regarding wrappers 10-10 a. The second extension 40 b has a firstedge 42 b, a second edge 44 b, a first side 46 b, a second side 48 b anda width 49 b. The second extension 40 b is attached to a portion of thesheet of material 12 b via a seal 50 b and preferably has a pattern 51 bthereon as discussed previously. Preferably the width 35 b and the width49 b are each from 2% to 25% of width 21 b.

[0035] The first extension 26 b is attached to the sheet of material 12b in a manner such that the first edge 28 b of the first extension 26 bextends to or beyond the first edge 18 b of the sheet of material 12 band the second extension 40 b is attached to the sheet of material 12 bsuch that the first edge 42 b of the second extension 40 b extends to orbeyond the second edge 20 b of the sheet of material 12 b.

[0036] Referring now to FIGS. 7-8, shown therein and designated by thegeneral reference numeral 10 c is a wrapper for wrapping a flower pot orfloral grouping which is essentially similar to wrapper 10 b except asdescribed below. The wrapper 10 c is constructed of a sheet of material12 c having a first surface 14 c, a second surface 16 c, a first edge 18c, a second edge 20 c, a width 21 c, a first side 22 c, a second side 24c, a first extension 26 c, and a second extension 40 c.

[0037] The first extension 26 c has a first edge 28 c, a second edge 30c, a first side 32 c, a second side 34 c, and a width 35 c. The firstextension 26 c is attached to a portion of the sheet of material 12 cvia a seal 36 c, and preferably has a pattern 38 c thereon as discussedabove regarding wrappers 10-10 b. The second extension 40 c has a firstedge 42 c, a second edge 44 c, a first side 46 c, a second side 48 c,and a width 49 c. The second extension 40 c is attached to a portion ofthe sheet of material 12 c via a seal 50 c and preferably has a pattern51 c thereon as discussed previously. Preferably the width 35 c andwidth 49 c are 2% to 25% of the width 21 c.

[0038] The first extension 26 c is attached to the sheet of material 12c in a manner such that the first edge 28 c of the first extension 26 cextends to or beyond the first edge 18 c of the sheet of material 12 cand the second extension 40 c is attached to the sheet of material 12 csuch that the first edge 42 c of the second extension 40 c extends to orbeyond the second edge 20 c of the sheet of material 12 c. Wrapper 10 cdiffers from wrapper 10 b primarily in that the first edge 28 c of firstextension 26 c and the first edge 42 c of the second extension 40 c arenon-linear (as defined elsewhere herein), rather than straight.

[0039] Also contemplated herein by the present invention are embodimentsof a wrapper similar to wrapper 10 c having a first extension and asecond extension except wherein only one, rather than both, of theextensions has a non-linear edge (not shown).

[0040] Referring now to FIGS. 9 and 10, shown therein and designated bythe general reference numeral 10 d is a wrapper for wrapping a flowerpot or floral grouping and which is similar to wrapper 10 except asdescribed below. The wrapper 10 d is constructed of a sheet of material12 d having a first surface 14 d, a second surface 16 d, a first edge 18d, a second edge 20 d, a width 21 d, a first side 22 d, a second side 24d, and an extension 26 d.

[0041] The extension 26 d has a first edge 28 d, a second edge 30 d, afirst side 32 d, a second side 34 d, and a width 35 d. The extension 26d is attached to a portion of the sheet of material 12 d via a seal 36d, and preferably has a pattern 38 d thereon as discussed aboveregarding wrappers 10-10 c. Width 35 d is preferably 2% to 25% of width21 d.

[0042] Wrapper 10 d is similar to wrapper 10 except that the first edge28 d of the extension 26 d does not extend beyond the first edge 18 d ofthe sheet of material 12 d but rather is positioned a distance below thefirst edge 18 d, for example from one-quarter inch to four to six inchesbelow.

[0043] Referring now to FIGS. 11-12, shown therein and designated by thegeneral reference numeral 10 e is a wrapper for wrapping a flower pot orfloral grouping, and which is similar to wrapper 10 d except asdescribed below. The wrapper 10 e is constructed of a sheet of material12 e having a first surface 14 e, a second surface 16 e, a first edge 18e, a second edge 20 e, a width 21 e, a first side 22 e, a second side 24e, and an extension 26 e. The extension 26 e has a first edge 28 e, asecond edge 30 e, a first side 32 e, a second side 34 e, and a width 35e. The extension 26 e is attached to a portion of the sheet of material12 e via a seal 36 e and preferably has a pattern 38 e thereon asdiscussed above regarding wrappers 10-10 d. Width 35 e is preferably 2%to 25% of width 21 e.

[0044] Wrapper 10 e is similar to wrapper 10 d except that the firstedge 28 e of the extension 26 e is non-linear (as defined elsewhereherein) rather than straight. In an alternative embodiment (not shown),the first edge 18 e of the sheet 12 e is also non-linear.

[0045] Referring now to FIGS. 13-14, shown therein and designated by thegeneral reference numeral 10 f is a wrapper for wrapping a flower pot orfloral grouping, the wrapper similar to wrapper 10 b except as describedbelow. The wrapper 10 f is constructed of a sheet of material 12 fhaving a first surface 14 f, a second surface 16 f, a first edge 18 f, asecond edge 20 f, a width 21 f, a first side 22 f, a second side 24 f, afirst extension 26 f, and a second extension 40 f.

[0046] The first extension 26 f has a first edge 28 f, a second edge 30f, a first side 32 f, and a second side 34 f, and a width 35 f. Thefirst extension 26 f is attached to a portion of the sheet of material12 f via a seal 36 f, and preferably has a pattern 38 f thereon asdiscussed above regarding wrappers 10-10 e. The second extension 40 fhas a first edge 42 f, a second edge 44 f, a first side 46 f, a secondside 48 f, and a width 49 p. The second extension 40 f is attached to aportion of the sheet of material 12 f via a seal 50 f and preferably hasa pattern 51 f thereon as discussed previously. The width 35 f and width49 f are preferably 2% to 25% of width 21 f.

[0047] The first extension 26 f is attached to the sheet of material 12f in a manner that is similar to first extension 26 b of wrapper 10 bexcept that the first edge 28 f of the first extension 26 f does notextend beyond the first edge 18 f of the sheet of material 12 f and thesecond extension 40 f is attached to the sheet of material 12 f suchthat the first edge 42 f of the second extension 40 f does not extendbeyond the second edge 20 f of the sheet of material 12 f.

[0048] In an alternative embodiment of wrapper 12 f, which is not shownherein, either one or both of first edge 18 f and second edge 20 f ofsheet of material 12 f may be non-linear. Similarly, either one or bothof first side 22 f and 24 f may be non-linear. Similarly, either or bothof second edge 30 f of first extension 26 f and second edge 44 f ofsecond extension 40 f may be non-linear in any of the afore-mentionedembodiments.

[0049] Referring now to FIGS. 15-16, shown therein and designated by thegeneral reference numeral 10 g is a wrapper for wrapping a flower pot orfloral grouping, which is similar to wrappers 10 c or 10 f except asdescribed below. The wrapper 10 g is constructed of a sheet of material12 g having a first surface 14 g, a second surface 16 g, a first edge 18g, a second edge 20 g, a width 21 g, a first side 22 g, a second side 24g, a first extension 26 g, and a second extension 40 g.

[0050] The first extension 26 g has a first edge 28 g, a second edge 30g, a first side 32 g, a second side 34 g, and a width 35 g. The firstextension 26 g is attached to a portion of the sheet of material 12 gvia a seal 36 g, and preferably has a pattern 38 g thereon as discussedabove regarding wrappers 10-10 f. The second extension 40 g has a firstedge 42 g, a second edge 44 g, a first side 46 g, a second side 48 g,and a width 49 g. The second extension 40 g is attached to a portion ofthe sheet of material 12 g via a seal 50 g and preferably has a pattern51 g thereon as discussed previously. The first edge 28 g of firstextension 26 g and the first edge 42 g of second extension 40 f are bothnon-linear rather than straight (as seen in wrapper 10 f). The width 35g and width 49 g are each preferably from 2% to 25% of width 21 g.

[0051] Wrapper 10 g is similar to wrapper 10 c except the firstextension 26 g is attached to the sheet of material 12 g in a mannersuch that the first edge 28 g of the first extension 26 g does notextend beyond the first edge 18 g of the sheet of material 12 g and thesecond extension 40 g is attached to the sheet of material 12 g suchthat the first edge 42 g of the second extension 40 g does not extendbeyond the second edge 20 g of the sheet of material 129.

[0052] In an alternative embodiment of wrapper 10 g which is not shownherein, either or both of the first edge 18 g and the second edge 20 gof sheet of material 12 g may be non-linear. Similarly, either one orboth of the first side 22 g and 24 g may be non-linear. In any of theafore-mentioned embodiments, either or both of the second edge 30 g offirst extension 26 g and second edge 44 g of second extension 40 g maybe non-linear.

[0053] Referring now to FIG. 17, shown therein and designated by thegeneral reference numeral 10 h is a wrapper for wrapping a flower pot orfloral grouping and which is similar to wrapper 10 b except as describedbelow. The wrapper 10 h is constructed of a sheet of material 12 hhaving a first surface 14 h, a second surface 16 h (not shown), a firstedge 18 h, a second edge 20 h, a first side 22 h, a second side 24 h, awidth 25 h, a first extension 26 h, a second extension 40 h, a thirdextension 52 h and a fourth extension 66 h.

[0054] The first extension 26 h has a first edge 28 h, a second edge 30h, a first side 32 h, a second side 34 h, and a width 35 h. The firstextension 26 h is attached to a portion of the sheet of material 12 hvia a seal 36 h, and preferably has a pattern 38 h thereon as discussedabove regarding wrappers 10-10 g. The second extension 40 h has a firstedge 42 h, a second edge 44 h, a first side 46 h, a second side 48 h,and a width 49 h. The second extension 40 h is attached to a portion ofthe sheet of material 12 h via a seal 50 h and preferably has a pattern51 h thereon as discussed previously.

[0055] The third extension 52 h has a first edge 54 h, a second edge 56h, a first side 58 h, a second side 60 h, and a width 61 h. The thirdextension 52 h is attached to a portion of the sheet of material 12 hvia a seal 62 h and preferably has a pattern 64 h thereon, as discussedabove regarding wrappers 10-10 g. The fourth extension 66 h has a firstedge 68 h, a second edge 70 h, a first side 72 h, a second side 74 h,and a width 75 h. The fourth extension 66 h is attached to a portion ofthe sheet of material 12 h via a seal 76 h and preferably has a pattern78 h thereon, as discussed previously. Preferably each of widths 35 h,49 h, 61 h and 75 h is 2% to 25% of width 21 h.

[0056] The first extension 26 h is attached to the sheet of material 12h in a manner such that the first edge 28 h of the first extension 26 hextends to or beyond the first edge 18h of the sheet of material 12 h.The second extension 40 h is attached to the sheet of material 12 h suchthat the first edge 42 h of the second extension 40 h extends to orbeyond the second edge 20 h of the sheet of material 12 h.

[0057] The third extension 52 h is attached to the sheet of material 12h in a manner such that the first edge 54 h of the third extension 52 hextends to or beyond the first side 22 h of sheet of material 12 h. Thefourth extension 66 h is attached to the sheet of material 12 h in amanner such that the first edge 68 h of the fourth extension 66 hextends to or beyond the second side 24 h of the sheet of material 12 h.

[0058] In an alternative embodiment of the wrapper 10 h, not shownherein, the first edges 28 h, 42 h, 54 h and 68 h of extensions 26 h, 40h, 52 h and 66 h, respectively, may be positioned so as to not extend toor beyond first edge 18 h, second edge 20 h, first side 22 h and/orsecond side 24 h, respectively, of sheet of material 126, in a mannersimilar to wrappers 10 d-10 g.

[0059] In another alternative embodiment of the wrapper 10 h, or of anyembodiment not explicitly shown herein, any one or all of the firstedges 28 h, 42 h, 54 h, and 68 h may be non-linear. Similarly, any oneor all of the first edge 18 h, second edge 20 h, first side 22 h and/orsecond side 24 h, respectively, of the sheet of material 12 h may benon-linear.

[0060] Referring now to FIGS. 18 and 19, shown therein and designated bythe general reference numeral 10 i is a wrapper for wrapping a flowerpot or floral grouping and which is similar to wrapper 10 except asdescribed below. The wrapper 10 i is constructed of a sheet of material12 i having a first surface 14 i, a second surface 16 i, a first edge 18i, a second edge 20 i, a width 21 i, a first extension 26 i and anoverlapping extension 80 i.

[0061] The first extension 26 i has a first edge 28 i, a second edge 30i, a first side 32 i, a second side 34 i, and a width 35 i. The firstextension 26 i is attached to a portion of the sheet of material 12 ivia a seal 36 i and preferably has a pattern 38 i thereon or otherdecorative effect. The overlapping extension 80 i has a first edge 32 i,a second edge 84 i, a first side 86 i, a second side 88 i, and a width89 i. The overlapping extension 80 i is attached to a portion of thesheet of material 12 i via a seal 90 i and preferably has a pattern 92 ithereon. Each of widths 35 i and 89 i are preferably from 2% to 25% ofwidth 21 i. As shown in FIGS. 18-19, the first extension 26 i and theoverlapping extension 80 i are attached to the sheet of material 12 i inan adjacent position. The overlapping extension 80 i may be sealed tothe first extension 26 i rather than to the first surface 14 i of thesheet of material 12 i. In FIGS. 18 and 19, first extension 26 i andoverlapping extension 80 i are shown as extending beyond first edge 18 iof sheet of material 12 i but in an alternative embodiment only one orneither of the first extension 26 i and the overlapping extension 80 imay extend beyond the first edge 18 i. Alternatively any one or all offirst edges 18 i, 28 i or 82 i may be non-linear, rather than straight,for example, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 11.

[0062] Referring now to FIG. 20, shown therein and referred to by thegeneral reference numeral 104 is a decorative cover formed when wrapper10 i is disposed about a pot 100 having a floral grouping 104 disposedtherein. When the wrapper 10 i is formed about the pot 100, a skirt 106is formed in the decorative cover 104. The skirt 106 is comprised of afirst upper peripheral edge 108 formed by first edge 18 i, a secondupper peripheral edge 110 formed by first edge 28 i and a third upperperipheral edge 112 formed by first edge 82 i. The upper peripheraledges 108, 110 and 112 are generally concentric about each other. Thedecorative cover 104 formed by wrapper 10 i has an outer peripheralsurface 114. Any of the wrappers 10-10 h described elsewhere herein, oralternative embodiments thereof, may be disposed about the pot 100 in amanner similar to that shown in FIG. 20, either by placing the pot 100upon a portion of the first surface 14-14 i of wrappers 10-10 i, or bywrapping the wrappers 10-10 i circumferentially about the pot 100 thenpreferably folding portions of the wrappers 10-10 i beneath the pot 100,thereby forming a decorative cover from wrappers 10-10 i.

[0063] In alternative embodiments which are not shown herein, any of thewrappers shown or described herein may be equipped with overlappingextensions such as shown herein in FIGS. 18-19. Alternatively, any ofthe wrappers shown or described herein may be equipped with one or moreoverlapping extensions (e.g., two, three, four, or more).

[0064] Any of the wrappers shown or described herein can be constructedusing multiple webs of material which are laminated or attached togetherto achieve contrasting effects in the completed wrapper, produced forexample by using webs of materials having different patterns, colors,textures, or constructed of different materials.

[0065] For example, a 4 inch by 24 inch sheet of film with a printedlace pattern thereon may be laminated to a 24″×24″ sheet of metallizedfilm.

[0066] It may be preferable in some instances and with some equipment tolaminate either by overall adhesively laminating or spot laminating orstrip laminating the extension material. It is preferable to leavecertain portions of the extension unlaminated or unattached so as toprovide the appearance of separate sheets as described previously.

[0067] Any of the wrappers described herein may be secured about a potor potted plant via a securing element such as a rubber band, elasticband, string, ribbon, wire or plastic tie, collar, tape, label,stribbon, metal strip, or any other banding device known to those ofordinary skill in the art. The securing element may be positioned belowor above an upper end of the pot. More than one securing element can beused. The securing element may be applied manually or automatically. Thesecuring element preferably is a banding element but may also be anadhesive or cohesive material, barbs on the pot, pins, clips, springs,staples, magnets, heat seals, chemical seals, vibratory seals or anyother binding or securing materials known in the art.

[0068] The wrappers described herein can be constructed, in whole or inpart, from materials including, but not limited to, polymer films,metallized polymer films, natural films, metallized natural films,printed materials of any type, matted materials of any type, cloth,fabric, spun bonded or melt blown materials, paper, tissue, cellophane,biodegradable materials, recyclable materials, and metal foils.Preferably, the extension is constructed of a material with a lace orlace-like appearance which is different from the material used toconstruct the sheet of material to which the extension is attached. Forexample, the sheet of material may be constructed of metallized film,polymer film, foil, spun bonded or melt blown material, fabric, orcellophane, any of which may have different colors, patterns, ortextures, while the extension is constructed of a lace-pattern materialor of a metallized film, polymer film, foil, spun bonded or melt blownmaterial, fabric, or cellophane having a lace pattern (which may be, forexample, cut into or printed on the material), any of which may havedifferent colors, lace patterns, and/or textures. Other materials andmethods of providing a material with a lace or lace-like appearance willreadily come to the mind of the person of ordinary skill in the art. Theseparate materials used to construct the wrapper may be laminatedtogether while the webs of material are in a flattened condition. Whenthe wrapper is constructed of only one or more single extensions anddoes not comprise overlapping extensions as defined herein, theextension does not comprise a “cling-type” self-adhering film.

[0069] The materials from which the wrappers shown or described hereinare constructed preferably have a thickness in a range from about 0.1mil to about 30 mils. Often, the thicknesses of the wrappers are in arange from about 0.5 mil to about 10 mils or preferably, in a range fromabout 1.0 mil to about 5 mils. Preferably, the wrappers are constructedfrom a material which is flexible, semi-rigid, rigid, or any combinationthereof. The wrappers may be constructed of a single layer of materialor a plurality of layers of the same or different types of materials.Any thickness of the material may be utilized as long as the materialfunctions in accordance with the present invention as described herein.Any thickness of material may be utilized in accordance with the presentinvention as long as the wrapper may be formed as described herein, andas long as the wrapper may contain at least a portion of a flower pot,potted plant, growing medium or floral grouping, as described herein.Additionally, an insulating material such as bubble film, preferable asone of two or more layers, can be utilized in order to provideadditional protection for the item, such as the floral grouping,contained therein.

[0070] As noted above, the wrappers shown or described herein may beconstructed from any suitable material that is capable of being formedinto a wrapper as contemplated herein and wrapped about a flower potand/or a floral grouping disposed therein. Preferably, the materialsinclude treated or untreated paper, metal foil, polymeric film,non-polymeric film woven, or nonwoven fabric, or synthetic or naturalfabric, cardboard, fiber, cloth, burlap, or laminations or combinationsthereof. As previously noted, the matrial comprising the extension ispreferably not a “cling”-type self-adhering film.

[0071] The term “polymeric film” when used herein means a film made of asynthetic polymer such as a polypropylene or a naturally occurringpolymer such as cellophane. A polymeric film is relatively strong andnot as subject to tearing (substantially non-tearable), as might be thecase with paper or foil.

[0072] The materials comprising the wrappers shown or described hereinmay vary in color and as described herein consists of designs ordecorative patterns which are printed, etched, and/or embossed thereonusing inks or other printing materials. An example of an ink which maybe applied to the surface of the material is described in U.S. Pat. No.5,147,706, which is hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference.

[0073] In addition, the materials may have various colorings, coatings,flocking and/or metallic finishes, or other decorative surfaceornamentation applied separately or simultaneously or may becharacterized totally or partially by pearlescent, translucent,transparent, iridescent, neon, or the like, qualities. The material mayfurther comprise, or have applied thereto, one or more scents. Each ofthe above-named characteristics may occur alone or in combination in thematerial. Moreover, portions of the materials used in constructing thewrappers shown or described herein may vary in the combination of suchcharacteristics. The materials utilized in the wrappers may be opaque,translucent, transparent, or partially clear or tinted transparent.

[0074] The term “floral grouping” as used herein means cut freshflowers, artificial flowers, a single flower or other fresh and/orartificial plants or other floral materials and may include othersecondary plants and/or ornamentation or artificial or natural materialswhich add to the aesthetics of the overall floral grouping. The floralgrouping preferably comprises a bloom or foliage portion and a stemportion and may comprise roots. Further, the floral grouping may be theplant portion of a potted plant. However, it will be appreciated thatthe floral grouping may consist of only a single bloom or only foliage,or a botanical item (not shown), or a propagule (not shown). The term“floral grouping” may be used interchangeably herein with both the terms“floral arrangement” and “potted plant”. The term “floral grouping” mayalso be used interchangeably herein with the terms “botanical item”and/or “propagule”.

[0075] The term “growing medium” when used herein means any liquid,solid or gaseous material used for plant growth or for the cultivationof propagules, including organic and inorganic materials such as soil,humus, perlite, vermiculite, sand, water, foam, and including thenutrients, fertilizers or hormones or combinations thereof required bythe plants or propagules for growth.

[0076] The term “botanical item” when used herein means a natural orartificial herbaceous or woody plant, taken singly or in combination.The term “botanical item” also means any portion or portions of naturalor artificial herbaceous or woody plants including stems, leaves,flowers, blossoms, buds, blooms, cones, or roots, taken singly or incombination, or in groupings of such portions such as bouquet of floralgrouping. The term “propagule” when used herein means any structurecapable of being propagated or acting as an agent of reproductionincluding seeds, shoots, stems, runners, tubers, plants, leaves, roots,or spores.

[0077] In accordance with the present invention and as noted earlier, abonding material may optionally be disposed on a portion of any of thewrappers shown or described herein to attach each wrapper to a flowerpot or to assist in closing or sealing an upper portion of the wrapper,respectively, or in adhering the wrapper to the pot.

[0078] The term “detaching element” where used herein means any elementor device such as, but not limited to, perforations, tear strips,zippers, and any other devices or elements of this nature known in theart, or any combination thereof, which enable the tearing away ordetachment of one object from another.

[0079] It will be understood by a person of ordinary skill in the artthat equipment and devices for laminating or securing webs of materialtogether are commercially available, and are well known to a person ofordinary skill in the art. Therefore, detailed discussion of theconstruction of the wrappers shown or described herein is not deemednecessary. Briefly however, the wrappers shown or described herein maybe formed by advancing two or more webs in parallel and sealing portionsof them together longitudinally. The webs may be formed into a roll asdescribed elsewhere herein and perforations may be inserted into thewebbing for easy separation of individual wrappers by the user.

[0080] The term “flower pot” or “pot” as used herein refers to any typeof container used for holding a floral grouping or plant, includingvases. Examples of pots, used in accordance with the present inventioninclude, but are not limited to, clay pots, foam pots, wooden pots,plastic pots, pots made from natural and/or synthetic fibers (such aspeat moss), and/or any combination thereof. The flower pot is adapted toreceive a floral grouping in the retaining space thereof. The floralgrouping may be disposed within the flower pot along with a suitablegrowing medium described elsewhere herein, or other retaining medium,such as a floral foam.

[0081] Preferably the wrappers shown or described herein are sized tocontain and conform to at least one of a variety of standard sizes ofpots known to those of ordinary skill in the art, such as 3½ inch, 4inch, 4½ inch, 5 inch, 5½ inch, 6 inch, 6½ inch, 7 inch, 7½ inch, 8 inchand 8½ inch pots or pots that are larger than, smaller than, orintermediate between such pot sizes such that preferably when thewrapper is applied about the pot a skirt portion is formed as describedearlier which is positioned near the upper rim of the pot.

[0082] Changes may be made in the construction and the operation of thevarious components, elements and assemblies described herein or in thesteps or the sequence of steps of the methods described herein withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in thefollowing claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of wrapping a flower pot, comprising:providing a decorative wrapper for wrapping a flower pot, the decorativewrapper comprising: a first sheet of material having a first edge, asecond edge, a first side, a second side, an upper surface, a lowersurface, and a width comprising the maximum distance between the firstedge and the second edge; and an extension comprising a second sheet ofmaterial having a first edge, a second edge, a first side, a secondside, and a width comprising the maximum distance between the first edgeof the extension and the second edge of the extension, and the extensionhaving a decorative pattern or decorative effect, and wherein the widthof the extension is substantially less than the width of the first sheetof material; and wherein the extension is attached to the upper surfaceof the first sheet of material along only a portion of the extensionwhereby the extension is left substantially unattached to the uppersurface of the first sheet of material and wherein the first edge of theextension is completely unattached to the first sheet of material, andwherein the first side of the extension is adjacent to the first side ofthe first sheet of material and the second side of the extension isadjacent to the second side of the first sheet of material, and whereinthe extension extends separately from the first sheet of material; anddisposing the decorative wrapper about a flower pot to form a decorativecover, wherein the decorative cover has a skirt having at least twoupper peripheral edges.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein in the step ofproviding a decorative wrapper the first edge of the extension extendsbeyond the first edge of the first sheet of material.
 3. The method ofclaim 1 wherein in the step of providing a decorative wrapper the firstedge of the extension is substantially adjacent the first edge of thefirst sheet of material.
 4. The method of claim 1 wherein in the step ofproviding a decorative wrapper the first edge of the extension does notextend beyond the first edge of the first sheet of material.
 5. Themethod of claim 1 wherein in the step of providing a decorative wrapperthe first edge of the extension has a non-linear shape.
 6. The method ofclaim 1 wherein in the step of providing a decorative wrapper the firstedge of the first sheet of material has a non-linear shape.
 7. Themethod of claim 1 wherein in the step of providing a decorative wrapperthe extension has a lace or lace-like pattern disposed thereon.
 8. Themethod of claim 1 wherein in the step of providing a decorative wrapperthe width of the extension is between 2% and 25% of the width of thefirst sheet of material.
 9. The method of claim 1 wherein in the step ofproviding a decorative wrapper the seal connecting the extension and thefirst sheet of material comprises a plurality of discrete areas ofconnection.
 10. The method of claim 1 wherein in the step of providing adecorative wrapper the seal connecting the extension and the first sheetof material comprises a strip extending substantially entirely betweenthe first side and the second side of the first sheet of material. 11.The method of claim 1 wherein in the step of providing a decorativewrapper, the decorative wrapper further comprises at least oneadditional extension which overlaps the first-mentioned extension and issealed to at least one of the first sheet of material and thefirst-mentioned extension and wherein the additional extension has awidth which is substantially less than the width of the first sheet ofmaterial.
 12. The method of claim 1 wherein in the step of providing adecorative wrapper, the wrapper further comprises an adhesive bondingmaterial disposed upon a portion thereof for connecting portions of thedecorative wrapper to each other or to the flower pot after thedecorative wrapper has been disposed about the flower pot to form thedecorative cover.
 13. A method of wrapping a flower pot, comprising:providing a decorative wrapper for wrapping a flower pot, the decorativewrapper comprising: a first sheet of material having a first edge, asecond edge, a first side, a second side, an upper surface, a lowersurface, and a width comprising the maximum distance between the firstedge and the second edge; a first extension comprising a second sheet ofmaterial having a first edge, a second edge, a first side, a secondside, and a width comprising the maximum distance between the first edgeof the first extension and the second edge of the first extension, andthe first extension having a decorative pattern or decorative effect,and wherein the width of the first extension is substantially less thanthe width of the first sheet of material; and a second extensioncomprising a third sheet of material having a first edge, a second edge,a first side, a second side, and a width comprising the maximum distancebetween the first edge of the second extension and the second edge ofthe second extension, and the second extension having a decorativepattern or decorative effect, and wherein the width of the secondextension is substantially less than the width of the first sheet ofmaterial; and wherein the first extension is attached to the uppersurface of the first sheet of material generally near the first edge ofthe first sheet of material and along only a portion of the firstextension whereby the first extension is left substantially unattachedto the upper surface of the first sheet of material and wherein thefirst edge of the first extension is completely unattached to the firstsheet of material, and wherein the first side of the first extension isadjacent to the first side of the first sheet of material; and thesecond side of the first extension is adjacent to the second side of thefirst sheet of material, and wherein the first extension extendsseparately from the first sheet of material; and wherein the secondextension is attached to the upper surface of the first sheet ofmaterial generally near the second edge of the first sheet of materialand along only a portion of the second extension whereby the secondextension is left substantially unattached to the upper surface of thefirst sheet of material and wherein the first edge of the secondextension is completely unattached to the first sheet of material, andwherein the first side of the second extension is adjacent to the firstside of the first sheet of material and the second side of the secondextension is adjacent to the second side of the first sheet of material,and wherein the second extension extends separately from the first sheetof material toward the second edge of the first sheet of material andwherein the first extension and second extension are disposed onopposing ends of the first sheet of material; and disposing thedecorative wrapper about a flower pot to form a decorative cover,wherein the decorative cover has a skirt having at least two upperperipheral edges.
 14. The method of claim 13 wherein in the step ofproviding a decorative wrapper the first edge of the first extensionextends beyond the first edge of the first sheet of material and thefirst edge of the second extension extends beyond the second edge of thefirst sheet of material.
 15. The method of claim 13 wherein in the stepof providing a decorative wrapper the first edge of the first extensionis substantially adjacent the first edge of the first sheet of materialand the first edge of the second extension is substantially adjacent thesecond edge of the first sheet of material.
 16. The method of claim 13wherein in the step of providing a decorative wrapper the first edge ofthe first extension does not extend beyond the first edge of the firstsheet of material and the first edge of the second extension does notextend beyond the second edge of the first sheet of material.
 17. Themethod of claim 13 wherein in the step of providing a decorative wrapperthe first edge of the first extension and the first edge of the secondextension each has a non-linear shape.
 18. The method of claim 13wherein in the step of providing a decorative wrapper the first edge andsecond edge of the first sheet of material each has a non-linear shape.19. The method of claim 13 wherein in the step of providing a decorativewrapper the first extension and the second extension each has a lace orlace-like pattern disposed thereon.
 20. The method of claim 13 whereinin the step of providing a decorative wrapper the width of the firstextension and the width of the second extension each is between 2% and25% of the width of the first sheet of material.
 21. The method of claim13 wherein in the step of providing a decorative wrapper the sealconnecting the first extension and the seal connecting the secondextension to the first sheet of material each comprise a plurality ofdiscrete areas of connection.
 22. The method of claim 13 wherein in thestep of providing a decorative wrapper the seal connecting the firstextension and the seal connecting the second extension to the firstsheet of material each comprise a strip extending substantially entirelybetween the first side and second side of the first sheet of material.23. The method of claim 13 wherein in the step of providing a decorativewrapper, the decorative wrapper further comprises a first additionalextension which overlaps the first extension and a second additionalextension which overlaps the second extension.
 24. The method of claim13 wherein in the step of providing a decorative wrapper, the decorativewrapper further comprises an adhesive bonding material disposed upon aportion thereof for connecting portions of the decorative wrappertogether after the decorative wrapper has been disposed about the flowerpot to form the decorative cover.